Many young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have difficulty perceiving and understanding the correct behavioral responses in certain social situations. This can hinder a child’s ability to create meaningful connections with other individuals.
This can be difficult to witness as a parent of a child with ASD. You want your child to make friends easily, but certain social and behavioral aspects can get in the way of that.
However, through social skills training, or SST, your child can receive support in building their social skills through scientifically proven interventions and instructions. In fact, SST is so important that it is often included in ABA therapy plans.
Not only are the skills learned in ABA therapy used to help your child grow in their ability to socialize effectively, but social skill training can actually increase your child’s ability to foster meaningful relationships and social connections, which can increase your child’s overall satisfaction in life.
Needless to say, social skills training is extremely beneficial for children with ASD. But you may be wondering, what exactly does social skills training entail?
Social skills training can be achieved in several different ways, depending on the learning style that fits your child best, such as peer mediated instruction and interventions, video modeling, social scripts/stories, and more. Here are some of the different social skills that are targeted in social skills training:
- Body Language
- Greetings
- Conversation Initiation
- Identifying Facial Expressions
- Appropriate Eye Contact
- Empathy
- Understanding Emotions
- Gestures
- Assertiveness
Most children with Autism require some form of social training or another, and we are here to ensure that your child receives the targeted social skills training that he/she needs to thrive socially!
At Step Forward ABA we are proud to offer children with Autism the focused ABA therapy they deserve. With a team of skilled Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) on our side, we help your child work toward specific social goals and objectives that are unique to their needs. Whether you are readying your child to enroll in school or you simply want them to grow in their ability to communicate more effectively with others, we provide the social skill training to shape behaviors in children with ASD.
Every child is unique, and our ABA therapy plans reflect that. Contact us today to connect with a BCBA and learn more about the powerful impact that ABA therapy can have on your child’s life!
